Sideshow presents the Clone Trooper Deluxe: Veteran, these seasoned vets have survived countless hard-fought battles. Crafted on a fully articulated body with combat-weathered armor, the Clone Trooper Veteran features interchangeable Phase One and Two helmets, and an arsenal of essential munitions.

As a full-scale intergalactic conflict rages on, a massive army of Clone Troopers fights in service of the Republic. Recruit your Army.

It’s almost bitter sweet that Sideshow Collectibles has released the Clone Trooper Deluxe figures now. Supporters of the line from the beginning will definitely feel like this is all familiar territory and perhaps pass on these updates. It’s out opinion however that a decision like that would be detrimental because the Deluxe clones are so significantly upgraded by comparison that they almost create buyer’s remorse in collectors who purchased the earlier versions. These new Deluxe clones are the better figures by far, and with so much extra interchangeability and versatility added in, you’ll do feel like you’re getting a premium figure over something that is typically deemed a rehash, for lack of a better word. Clone Trooper Deluxe (Veteran) takes the Clone Trooper Deluxe (Shiny) release and adds beautiful additional battle-damage and dirt. These clones are meant to look like the ones who fought at the forefront of the many Clone Wars battles and Sideshow Collectibles has done a fabulous job at showing the effects of battle and what it does to plastoid armor. Aside from the drastically different paint jobs, not much new ground is broken here at all, but that isn’t a cut down. We are totally digging these new figures and we hope that Sideshow Collectibles has gotten a good enough response from them that they’ll consider Original Trilogy characters (i.e. the Imperial Stormtrooper) in the same fashion in the very near future.

In retrospect, we honestly would have loved it if Sideshow Collectibles had waited to release these clones now. At these price points, it’s definitely hard to plop down the cost of what the original figure retailed for (and then SOME) to get the same character all over again. Hindsight is always 20/20, but why couldn’t Sideshow Collectibles have released figures of this quality originally? Better paint jobs, tightened articulation and awesome accessories are just some of the details here that make these versions ultimately better. But as we’ve stated above, there is a great amount of newness here that actually make these figures the better buy, even if they ultimately cost significantly more than the originals did. What’s interesting is that although this may feel like more of the same, both the Clone Trooper Deluxe (Shiny) figure and this figure have provided collectors with the first ever available versions of the all-white phase II clone troopers from Revenge Of The Sith. What’s extra nice here is that you have your option to get them all clean and/or all dirty. You’ll probably want the “shiny” version for an ultimate Episode II clone, and likewise the “veteran” for an ultimate Episode III clones.

But obviously, thanks to the interchangeability and extra portraits, you can have all versions since there are so many extra parts included. The deco on Clone Trooper Deluxe (Veteran) is absolutely stunning. Sideshow Collectibles have no problem whatsoever any more decorating the 1:6 Scale Figures with intricate detail and patterns to make these characters look like they actually fought in battle. There are collections of dirt that are so lifelike it almost appears as if you could brush it away with your hands and the scratches and cracks created with heavier brush strokes are just unbelievable. Your brain nearly has difficulty processing them as “fake”. All of the Clone Trooper Deluxe figures come with the same exact accessories. This makes things easy for collectors who mix up their figures and display them together in a diorama. Clone Trooper Deluxe (Veteran) is unquestionably the greatest Episode II interpretation of a Clone Trooper the line has ever seen. Back in 2010, Sideshow Collectibles released the Republic Clone Trooper (Phase I Armor) and it really was a disappointment. While the clean armor was nice (to recreate those Kamino scenes), the articulation points were so weak that the figure could barely stand or hold accessories. All of that has been remedied and more. These Deluxe clones are the ones to get.